Committee forms to search for new Auburn president, 2017 budget approved

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Auburn University President Jay Gogue asked the Board of Trustees during its regular meeting on Friday to begin a search for his replacement.

Gogue, who has been Auburn’s leader since 2007, did not provide a time frame for his departure from office, but later indicated it would be in the next year.

“Susie and I have had a blast at Auburn the past 10 years,” said Gogue. “We’re not going anywhere, but we decided it’s time to step down as president next year and begin the next phase of our lives.”

Charles McCrary, president pro tem of the board, appointed Trustee Raymond Harbert to chair the search committee. Harbert asked Trustees Michael DeMaioribus and Sarah Newton to serve with him. The committee will utilize the services of R. William Funk & Associates, a higher education search firm out of Dallas, Texas.

Additionally, the board approved a 2017 fiscal budget of $1.22 billion, with $1 billion allocated to the main campus for the first time.

Executive Vice President Don Large reiterated what the board heard at its June meeting, including plans to increase salaries averaging about 4 percent and offer a one-time salary supplement of 2 percent. Additional priorities include faculty promotion; informational technology security, compliance and safety; and building maintenance and operations.

In April, the board approved tuition increases for in-state and out-of-state students at both Auburn and Auburn Montgomery for the 2016-2017 academic year.

In other action, the board approved:

  • Hiring Houser Walker Architecture of Atlanta as the architect for renovating two of the quads in Haley Center to accommodate the Department of Mathematics and Statistics from Parker Hall, which will be demolished in preparation for the new Academic Classroom and Laboratory Complex
  • Hiring Hufft Projects of Kansas City, Missouri, as the architect for building out 13,000 square feet of space to the basement of the Recreation and Wellness Center for personal training, small group training, and powerlifting/Olympic-style weightlifting programs
  • A project to construct two new residence halls on campus, adding 300-500 beds
  • A project to construct a Culinary Arts Building for the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Hospitality Management in the College of Human Sciences
  • A project to build a new maintenance hangar on the south ramp of the Auburn University Regional Airport, with Garver, LLC of Huntsville as project engineer
  • Acquiring 80 acres adjacent to the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center in Covington County
  • The issuance of auxiliary leases for outlying parcels of university property
  • Allowing the president to execute a lease agreement with the Gulf Shores Public Education Finance Authority, who will purchase property in Gulf Shores, build a structure and lease it to Auburn for the university’s needs
  • Changes in the faculty personnel policies to reflecting the promotion and tenure process for faculty hired as part of the university’s strategic hiring initiative
  • Renaming the Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management to a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management, with options in hotel and restaurant management, event management and culinary science
  • Posthumously awarding a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies to Nicholas A. Huntley, who died in May; and posthumously awarding a Master of Liberal Arts from Auburn University Montgomery to Elizabeth R. Boroughs, who died in January
  • Appointing Trustees Sarah Newton and Clark Sahlie to three-year terms on the Auburn Alumni Lifetime Achievement Awards Committee

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.